Take a Little Ride with You
by theheartofcountrycontest
Summary: When his parents decide to move from the Chicago suburbs to their small Indiana hometown, Edward Masen's world is turned upside down when a beer drinkin,' curses-like-a-sailor brunette hellion blows into his life.


Rating: PG-13 for language

Word Count: 5,665

Pairing: Edward and Bella

Prompts used: Picture prompts: #4; Musical prompt: "Take a Little Ride" by Jason Aldean (A little inspiration from "She's Country" by Jason as well)

Summary: When his parents decide to move from the Chicago suburbs to their small Indiana hometown, Edward Masen's world is turned upside down when a beer drinkin,' curses-like-a-sailor brunette hellion blows into his life.

Disclaimer: Trust me, if I owned any of these characters I would be lying on a beach with a margarita in my hand instead of freezing my ass off in Indiana.

The muggy Indiana night was beginning to cool as Edward Masen turned into the gravel drive of the local ballpark. Pulling up next to an older Jeep that was parked haphazardly on a hillside, he grabbed his mitt and got out. Edward could hear people laughing and talking in the darkness around him as he made his way down to the brightly lit diamond in search of his cousin.

Emmett McCarty had always been more like a brother to Edward than a cousin. They had many of the same interests and were constantly getting into all sorts of trouble when they were younger. When his parents announced they were selling their suburban Chicago home and moving back to their small Indiana hometown Edward immediately called Emmett to tell him the news.

_"Ed-man, what's up," Emmett yelled into the phone. "Long time no talk."_

_ "Dude, we're moving," Edward said._

_ "Cool, where?" _

_ "About three miles away from your place." _

_ "WHAT! You're shitin' me," Emmett said in disbelief. _

_ "I shit you not," Edward said, excitedly. "Mom and Dad close on the house in a few weeks. We'll be in town just before Memorial Day."_

_ "Hell yeah! You'll be in town to play in the softball tournament. This is too cool, man. Summer just got a whole hell of a lot more awesome."_

_ "Tell me about it," Edward said. "This is gonna rock."_

_ "Dude, its gonna be fucking epic."_

The annual Memorial Day Slow Pitch Softball tournament, Edward learned, was legendary. It wasn't an amazing showcase of athleticism that made it popular but the fact that it was an excuse for those participating to be drunk all night. Since most of them had played when they were younger, the police steered clear of the park and the subsequent underage drinking that took place there every Memorial Day weekend. The unspoken rules were simple; don't be stupid, don't fight and your ass stays if you drink.

As Edward made his way closer to the diamond, he could see the large outline of his cousin standing near the dugout.

"What the fuck, Em?" Edward yelled as he saw Emmett take a drink of his beer. "Couldn't wait for me, I see."

"Ed-man!" Emmett bellowed, pulling Edward in for a hug. "Jazz, get my cousin a beer!"

Jasper laughed as he reached into the cooler and pulled out a Coors Light, handing it to Edward.

"Thanks," Edward said before taking a drink.

"You're welcome. So, how've ya been, man?" Jasper asked.

"I've been good, glad that we're finally here. Moving sucks."

"Ed-man, you need to meet my Rosie," Emmett said, looking around before yelling at a blonde sitting on the bleachers with a brunette. "Rosie, come here and meet Ed-Man."

Edward could see the blonde laugh as she and the brunette stood and made their way over.

"Ed-man this, is my Rosie. Rosie this is Ed-man," Emmett said after placing a kiss on the blonde's cheek.

"It's Edward," he said ,shaking Rosie's hand.

"Rosalie, but everyone calls me Rose, or Rosie in Emmett's case." Rosalie said with a chuckle. "This is Alice."

"Edward, it's good to finally meet you," the brunette, Alice, said. "Muscles over there hasn't been able to shut up about you since he found out you were moving here."

"Ali, be real with the man," Jasper said, wrapping his arms around Alice's waist. "Emmett's been acting like a 12-year-old girl who found out she gets to go to a Bieber concert."

"I have not! I've just… okay yeah I've been excited," Emmett said, smiling before walking over to look at the tournament bracket.

"So, Edward, Em said that you graduated a semester early," Rose stated. "How'd you accomplish that?"

"I took advanced placement classes and then some college courses last summer. It gave me the credits I needed to finish early."

"That's awesome," Alice said as Emmett returned.

"Hey, has anyone heard from B? We're next game."

"She's on her way," Rose said, checking her phone. "Said she'd be here in about fifteen to twenty."

"All right, I guess we can start warming up then," Emmett said, grabbing another beer and taking a gulp.

"Way to warm up there Em," Alice said as she and Rose walked into the outfield to play catch.

Jasper and Emmett introduced Edward to the rest of their team, all of whom had just graduated with them. Jasper explained that a big group from their class had decided to put a team together their freshmen year and it had become a tradition.

As they loosened up their arms, Edward felt welcomed into their close knit group. The guys were asking about being raised so close to Chicago and joking with him about living in the "big city." He was throwing the ball to Jasper when a blue Chevy pickup sped into the parking lot, the sounds of "Four Kicks" by Kings of Leon blaring from the speakers. Alice and Rose yelled and ran toward the pickup, which had parked up on the hill. Edward watched as a brunette wearing tiny black shorts, hot pink knee socks, cleats and an oversized sweatshirt appeared with Rose and Alice by her side. They were talking animatedly as she gathered her long hair and pulled it into a messy bun on the top of her head.

"Jasper, who's th-" Edward was cut off by his cousin yelling.

"Hell's Bells, it's about damn time you got your ass here!"

The brunette laughed as she flipped Emmett off.

"Sorry, Em, I got here as soon as I could. Now, who's got a beer?"

After one of the guys handed her a beer and she downed it impressively, she turned her eyes on Edward.

"So, you're Em's cousin."

"Ye-"

"That was a statement, not a question. These other dipshits may be willing to let just anyone on the team, but I have standards."

Edward's eyes went wide as she glared at him.

"Now, you're from Chicago, right?"

Edward nodded.

"You're not a Cubs fan, are you?"

"No."

"Who's your baseball team?"

"Cardinals."

Her eyebrow lifted.

"Interesting, you were raised in Chicago but you're a Cardinals fan, how the hell did that happen?"

"My dad's side is from Missouri."

"Football team?"

"Colts."

"Purdue or IU?"

"IU."

"All right, he passed, he can play. Now, let's-"

"Um, excuse me," Edward said. She looked at him, waiting. "Who the fuck are you?"

The group that had formed around them laughed as she smirked and stuck out her hand.

"I'm Isabella Fucking Swan. Nice to meet ya."

Hours and who knows how many beers later, Edward woke up curled in a sleeping bag in the bed of his truck, the sun shining brightly and Bella Swan, along with Emmett, staring at him from over the tailgate.

"I don't know if he's gonna be able to hang, Em," Bella said, shaking her head and taking a sip of what Edward assumed to be coffee.

"He just needs a little more practice. He'll be fine."

"I can hear you, ya know. I'm hungover, not deaf."

"Well in that case, rise and shine, Pretty Boy." Bella smiled. "We play again in an hour."

Edward sat up as she walked away. Emmett watched him, a goofy smile on his face.

"Is she always like that?" Edward asked.

"That's our Bells. You look like shit, dude."

"How are you not hungover? You drank more than I did last night."

"Practice. You forget, around here we drink every weekend. It's our main form of entertainment."

"Yeah, well, you suck balls. Can I at least have some coffee before we play?"

"C'mon, Bells' dad brought us all doughnuts and coffee. I think there's still some left."

Over the next couple of weeks, Edward adjusted to small town life. Having only spent a few of his summers with his aunt, uncle, and Emmett, he wasn't too familiar with the many back roads that criss-crossed the county. He found himself driving in an attempt to become familiar with his new home. As he drove the sheer beauty of the landscape he had seen so many times captured him. Corn fields stretched as far as he could see, the small green stalks just beginning to sprout in perfect rows. The trees lining the roads, the blue sky…it was all completely different than the suburbs where he had spent the majority of his life.

The people were also the complete opposite of those in Chicago. He wasn't used to the friendly smiles that greeted him everywhere he went. In Chicago, Edward had never really felt like he belonged and as a result only had a few people he would refer to as friends. Suddenly, he had found himself included in Emmett's group and spent most of his free time hanging out with them. His uncle had offered him a job working on the family farm. It was different than he had expected his summer job to be but he liked it. He found himself falling in love with the little town and was thankful his parents had decided to move. The only drawback so far had been that he had only seen the infamous Bella Swan a handful of times since the softball tournament, and each time he hadn't been able to have an actual conversation with her. He couldn't stop thinking about her and had hoped that he would have the chance to learn more about her sometime soon.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~TALRWY~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Having been in town for almost a month, Emmett and Jasper decided it was high time Edward was introduced to one of their favorite places in town. Which was how they ended up at the local pizza joint, Giorgio's, after a long day in the fields. As they walked in, Edward spotted Bella carrying a steaming pie to one of the tables.

"Bella works here?" he askedEmmett as they sat down.

"Yeah, her parents own it."

"The place has been in her family for like, fifty years or something," Jasper said. "Her great grandpa was Giorgio."

"Oh. That's cool," Edward said as Bella walked over to their table.

"Jazz, Em," she said with a smile before looking at Edward. "Pretty Boy. What can I get ya'll to drink? Emmett, say beer and I'll punch you in the beak."

"Fine, Pepsi."

"Mt. Dew please, B," Jasper said.

"Pretty Boy, what can I get ya?"

"Pepsi," Edward mumbled, feeling his ears go red.

Bella smirked before going to get their drinks.

"Ohhh...somebody has a crush on our Queen B," Emmett said with a goofy grin.

"What? No I don't."

"It's okay, Edward. We've all been under the Bella spell at one point," Jasper said.

"I don't have a crush."

"Edward and B, sittin in a tree, K-I-S…ow!" Emmett said, rubbing his arm as he looked over at Jasper. "What the fuck, dude."

"Stop being a douche."

"So what's good here?" Edward said, quickly trying to change the subject.

"Everything, but we're getting a pizza," Emmett said. "You can't live in this town without having a piece of Georgio's famous pepperoni pizza. I can't believe I never brought you here when you visited."

Bella brought their drinks and a basket of breadsticks.

"The usual, Em?" she said, leaning against the back of their booth. "Pretty Boy, these two get a large extra pepperoni. That okay?"

"Yeah, that sounds good."

"All right-y, I'll get it put in."

"Thanks, B, you rock," Emmett said.

"Duh," she said.

Edward watched her disappear in to the kitchen as Emmett and Jasper stared at him.

"Dude, ask her out already," Emmett said.

"I, no, what?" Edward said, looking down.

"Seriously, Ed, who do you think you're kiddin'?" Jasper said. "The puppy dog eyes are getting old."

"Shut up, you don't know what you're talking about."

"Ed-man, if you don't grow a pair and ask her out, I'm going to ask her for you," Emmett said. "It's fucking nauseating."

"She doesn't like me like that," Edward said.

"You're just fuckin' with me now, right?" Emmett said with wide eyes. "B likes you."

"She insults me every chance she gets," Edward pointed out. "And she calls me Pretty Boy."

"Trust me, it would be a lot worse if she wasn't insulting you," Jasper said. "As for the nickname, we all have them. Take it as a compliment that she took the time to give you one."

They stopped talking as Bella made her way towards them with a steaming pizza.

"Whoa, that was fast," Emmett said, grabbing a slice as she set it down.

"I put the order in when I got your drinks. I was just making sure Pretty Boy was okay with it," she said, smiling at Edward.

Edward quickly grabbed a slice and took a bite.

"Holy shit, this is fucking amazing."

"Glad you like it. I'll make sure to pass that compliment on to the chef," Bella said. "Enjoy!"

Bella had been busy with her other tables the rest of the night and was only able to spare a wave as the boys left. With one last glance, Edward decided that the next time he saw Bella Swan he would grow a pair like Emmett had said and ask her out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~TALRWY~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Okay spill," Alice said as she shut the front door behind Bella.

"What? There's nothing to spill," Bella said, plopping down on the couch.

"Liar."

"I'm not lying."

"Please, B, I've been your best friend since third grade. I know when you have something face."

"It's nothing…just…boys are stupid. They make you think they love you and then go off to college, and all of a sudden you're not good enough, and then they break your heart and humiliate you." Bella crossed her arms and pouted. "Then you think, fine, I don't need a boyfriend. Then Emmett's stupid attractive cousin comes to town, and suddenly everyone just thinks he's so awesome with his gorgeous face and hair and tall-ness and those shoulders, and its just…stupid."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Alice said her eyebrows scrunched in confusion. "In what bizarre world did that make any kind of sense?"

"It doesn't make sense." Bella slumped in her seat. "And the fact that I can't stop thinking about Pretty Boy doesn't make sense."

Alice raised an eyebrow and stared.

"What?" Bella said, looking away.

"You know what."

"I really don't."

"Honey, you've got it bad for that boy."

"Whatever. You're delusional. I'm just gonna go," she said, standing to leave as Alice grabbed her arm and made her sit back down.

"Bella, Jake was a dumbfuck who didn't deserve you in the first place. I don't think he broke your heart so much as your pride."

Bella's shoulders slumped as she nodded her head. "I know."

"Okay, so what's keeping you from going after that piece of tall, bronze, and gorgeous?" Alice said, with a smile.

"Nothing. I just…what happens when summer is over? I'm going to Bloomington, and he's going...wherever. I mean, granted I've only been around him a handful of times but I just feel this connection to him. What if I really fall for him? The long distance thing obviously didn't work out for me the last time, and I don't think I can go through Jake-gate 2.0."

"You are thinking way too much into this. Talk to him, go out on a couple of dates, see where it goes. Besides, have you even asked him what he's doing this fall?"

"No…"

"Okay then, take a chill pill, pull on your big girl boots, and start acting like the badass chick I know you are," Alice said, crossing her arms.

Bella smiled before giving her best friend a hug.

"You always know how to get my ass in gear, Ali."

"Don't I know it," Alice said, laughing.

"All right, I'm gonna go. I'll talk to ya later."

"Peace out, homeslice."

Leaving Alice's, Bella drove around the back roads with her windows down, clearing her head. This was one of the things she loved the most about living in the country. The smells of summer filled her senses as she took in the fields and tree-lined road. Suddenly her phone blared from the cup holder. "They've never drove through Indiana, met the man who plowed that earth, planted that…"

"Hellooo," Bella answered.

"Hey B," Rose said.

"Rosey Posey, what's up?"

"Just talked to my Dad. We're good to go for a fire tonight!" Rose said excitedly.

"Rock on! The first Hale bonfire of the summer! Have you called Emmett yet?"

"I sent him a text but he's probably still working, why?"

"I'm actually pretty close to his place right now. I'll stop in and let him know. Just in case he didn't get the text," Bella said, turning down the back road that would take her to the McCarty farm.

"Awesome, I'll get ahold of Alice. Meet up at my place around nine or whenever."

"Sounds good. I'll see ya later, lady!"

"Bye, B!" Rose said, "Oh, and make sure Emmett invites Edward."

"I will," Bella said, disconnecting the call.

She pulled into the familiar driveway and followed it up to the house. Throwing her truck in park, she hopped out and jogged up the front. She knocked twice and waited. Nothing. Hearing a truck engine coming from the direction of the barn, she walked around the side of the house, figuring it was either Emmett or Jasper just getting in for the day. As she got closer to the barn, she came to a halt and her mouth fell open. Edward Masen was leaning against the tailgate of his truck, wearing only jeans, boots, and a baseball hat, checking his phone.

"Dear lord all heavenly mighty." Shaking her head to clear the lusty thoughts that had invaded her brain upon seeing the tiny beads of sweat roll over his defined stomach, she strutted toward him.

Hearing boots on the gravel drive, Edward looked up from his phone. He couldn't help the huge smile that appeared when he saw Bella walking toward him wearing a blue tank top, cut-off jean shorts, and boots. Her hair was pulled up in a high ponytail and aviator sunglasses were perched on her head.

"Hey, Pretty Boy, done for the day?"

"Yeah, Emmett should be on his way in soon."

"Oh," she said. "Well, Rose called and she's having a fire out at her place tonight, so I just wanted to make sure you and Emmett knew about it. So yeah, umm…we're all meeting out there around nine or whenever."

Edward smiled as he realized she seemed nervous.

"What prompted the personalized invitation?"

"Huh?" she said, her head tilting to the side, confused.

"Well I mean, that seems like something a simple text or phone call could have accomplished."

Bella cocked her eyebrow and put her hand on her hip. Edward had never called her out on her shit before, she liked this feistier side of him.

"I was close by, the service out here is pretty sketch, and I just wanted to make sure you boys got the memo."

"Oh right, yeah, well, I'll make sure to tell him."

"Awesome, so I'm gonna just…" She turned to go when Edward said her name. "Yeah?"

"Do you need a ride to Rose's tonight?"

"I was planning to drive myself. You and Emmett wanna just pick me up?"

"No," he said quickly.

"Okay," she said, confused.

"I mean, can I pick you up and we ride to her place, together?"

"Sure."

"Seriously?" he said with a look of disbelief.

"Seriously," She said, with a laugh as she turned and began to walk away. "Pick me up at 8, Pretty Boy."

Edward watched her walk back to her truck, her hips swaying. The old Chevy rumbled to life and Luke Bryan's "Drunk on You" filled the air as she pulled away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~TALRWY~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_Dear Jesus, please, please, please let her be wearing those cut-off jean shorts. I'm begging you,_ Edward said to himself as he headed to Bella's house later that night. After busting his ass all week in the fields, he was ready to hang out with his friends, drink a few beers, and get to know Bella better.

Since she came into his life like a tornado, he couldn't get her out of his head. She was unlike any girl he had ever met. He was used to girls who were worried about their looks, were "drunk" after a couple sips of some girly drink, and would never be caught cursing around adults. Bella was naturally beautiful, could drink Emmett under the table, and cursed like a sailor. She was fiercely loyal and wouldn't think twice about throwing a punch if someone hurt any of her friends. Without realizing it, Bella Swan had become Edward's idea of the perfect girl.

He parked his truck and walked to the front door, rang the bell, and waited. Almost immediately, it opened to reveal Charlie Swan. His eyes narrowed as he crossed his arms and stared at Edward. Having only met Charlie a couple of times-once the morning of the softball tournament and the other one night at the pizza place, Edward wasn't sure how to react to the hostile look he was receiving.

"Good evening, Mr. Swan," he said timidly.

"Edward, right," Charlie said gruffly.

"Yes, sir."

Edward could feel his hands start to sweat.

"You're taking my baby girl out to the Hales' tonight."

"Yes, sir."

"You own any guns, Edward?"

"No, sir."

"I do. A few of them actually. You keep that in mind tonight while you're with my baby girl. Got it."

Edward's eyes went wide as he nodded his head.

"For the love of doughnuts, Dad." Bella's voice rang out from the top of the stairs. "Stop it or I'm telling Mom."

Charlie looked up at his daughter, who was walking down the stairs, his own eyes wide.

"You wouldn't."

"Oh, but I would," she said as she came to stand by Edward. Seeing the scared look on his face, she giggled. "Come on, Pretty Boy. His bark is worse than his bite, I promise."

Edward just nodded as Charlie again narrowed his eyes at him and glared. Bella gave her father a hug, picked up a cooler that was sitting by the door, and walked with Edward out to his truck. As soon as the door shut, he breathed a sigh of relief. They were halfway to the truck when he realized what she was wearing. A vintage looking IU t-shirt, her beloved cowboy boots, and the frayed cut-off jean shorts that he loved so much. She had her cooler in one hand and a sweatshirt draped over her other arm. Edward quickly took the cooler from her and opened her door, making sure she was settled before walking around the back to put the cooler next to his own before getting in. He started the truck, pulled out of the driveway, and headed toward Rose's house.

"Pretty Boy, I'm really sorry about my dad," Bella said as Edward popped a CD into the player.

"He's protective of you. There's nothing wrong with that."

"He's a teddy bear, I promise." She laughed before she caught what CD Edward had put in. "I love this album."

"Me too. I think it's his best one yet."

"He's coming to Indy at the end of summer. I know Alice said something about all of us getting tickets when they go on sale."

"Count me in," Edward said. "He was in Chicago last year, but none of my friends up there like country music, so I didn't go."

"I've seen him a couple times. He definitely puts on a kick-ass show."

They were silent for a few moments before Bella spoke up again.

"So, Pretty Boy, how are ya liking our little town?"

"I love it," he said fondly. "It feels more like home than Chicago ever did."

"Why's that?"

"Dad took a job up there before I was born and they just stayed. My mom didn't want to move in the first place and they always talked about growing up around here." Edward said. "After I graduated, they decided that there really wasn't a good reason to stay, so they put the house on the market and that was that."

"You don't miss it?"

"I never liked going into the city. There are cities that are big but don't feel big, like Indy. But, Chicago just feels massive."

"I don't think I can even picture myself living somewhere else," she said, looking out the window and watching the landscape pass.

"Although, I'm kind of pissed at Emmett for keeping you a secret."

"What?" Bella laughed as she looked over at him.

"Well, I mean, whenever I came to visit, we'd have a lot of family stuff to do but he never once mentioned a beer drinkin', curses-like-a-sailor little hellion."

"Ahh, I see. Well, not to make excuses, but Emmett and I didn't hang out that much over the last few summers," she said, looking down. "He didn't get along with my ex."

"Oh."

"I think Em knew he wasn't the guy for me, but he didn't want to hurt my feelings."

"May I ask what happened?"

"So polite," she said with a small smile. "He was a year older than me. We tried, or I guess I tried, to do the long distance thing when he left for college. I went up to surprise him one weekend, got to his dorm room, and he had another girl in there with him. Told me that he was 'kinda over it' and that he thought it would be better to date other people."

"What an asshole," Edward said as he contemplated finding the guy and kicking his ass.

"Yeah, I told him he was a douchebag before I decked him and kicked him in the balls," she said with a laugh. "He was probably singing soprano for a week."

"When did this happen?"

"Last fall. I realized that I had been so caught up in him that I'd neglected my friends. I gave myself a week to wallow and decided that he wasn't worth it. My friends didn't like him, and I know my dad didn't like him. You're actually the first guy I've been on a date with since."

"Is that what this is?" Edward said softly, looking straight ahead. "A date?"

Bella took his hand in hers and scooted closer.

"I'd like it to be," she said. "Do you want it to be a date?"

Edward nodded his head as he squeezed her hand. Bella put her head on his shoulder, listening to the music that filled the cab.

"I love this song," she said as she turned up the radio a little louder and began to sing along. "I'm just ready to ride this Chevy, ride this Chevy down a little back road."

Edward pulled into the Hales' driveway and parked in the yard next to Emmett's truck. The bonfire was burning bright, and he could see Emmett, Jasper, and a few other people standing around drinking. He and Bella got out and walked around to the truck bed to get the coolers. Edward got them both but Bella stopped him as he began to walk toward the fire. She took her cooler from him and replaced it with her hand. A smile lit his face as he gave it a squeeze before they made their way over to their friends. Emmett was the first to see them. He looked at their faces before moving his eyes to their joined hands.

"Fucking finally," he yelled. "Jasper, our boy grew some balls!"

"I'm so proud," Jasper said with a fake choked-up voice.

Alice and Rose stood next to each other and smiled knowingly at Bella.

"Yeah, yeah, Emmett and Jasper, kiss my ass," Bella said in her sassy voice as she set her cooler down and got a beer. "Rose and Alice, you told me so. Can we move on please?"

They started laughing as everyone returned to their conversations and Emmett went over to turn up the radio. Edward wrapped his arms around Bella's waist and began to sing along. "Man, I swear there ain't nothin' looks better than that, sweet tan little thing with nothin' to do, I wanna take a little ride with you."

The rest of the night consisted of drinking and laughing. At one point, Emmett had decided he wanted s'mores and ended up having his ass kicked by Bella when he nearly hit her in the head with a flaming marshmallow. Edward and Jasper were doubled over watching Emmett take off with Bella chasing close behind him. She leapt and tackled him to the ground before raining punches on his arms. Rose and Alice cheered her on as Emmett cursed at her between apologies. More people came and went as the fire burned late into the evening.

Edward stood on one side of the fire talking to Emmett and Jasper. He looked over and saw Rose, Alice, and Bella having what appeared to be a deep conversation. Bella sat having a drunken philosophical life discussion with the girls. She looked up when she felt someone watching her and smiled as she saw it was Edward.

In trying to keep up with Emmett and Jasper, Edward found himself unable to drive. Bella, who was also in no position to drive, laughed as he began freaking out, convinced that her dad was going to shoot him.

"Edward, calm the fuck down. Its fine."

"No it's not. He's gonna shoot me, and there are a lot of woods around your house where he could hide my body."

"Oh sweetie, he wouldn't shoot to kill. I mean maybe a kneecap or arm, but I don't think Dad would do well in prison," Bella said seriously, before bursting into giggles as the color drained from Edward's face.

"Ed-man, chill. You're killin' my buzz," Emmett said as Rose brought out blankets and pillows from the house. "It's not our first bonfire rodeo."

"Papa Swan knows we all usually camp out after fires, Edward," Rose said, handing him and Bella a couple pillows and blankets.

Seeing the amused look on Bella's face, Edward calmed down as she took his hand and they walked over to his truck.

"Not cool, Bella. Not. Cool.

"Oh come on, Pretty Boy, I'm sleepy."

Climbing into the truck bed, he wrapped them both up as she snuggled into his chest.

"Pretty Boy," she said.

"Yeah."

"Emmett may have kept me a secret from you, but he didn't keep you a secret from me."

"Oh really."

"Yeah, he was so excited to introduce us. He knew we would hit it off," she said. "He got really fucking annoying to tell you the truth."

"Guess we should thank him then," Edward said as he closed his eyes. He was almost asleep when she spoke again.

"Pretty Boy?"

"Yeah."

"Where are you going to school in the fall?" Bella asked, as she held on to him tighter.

"I got accepted to IU," he said sleepily. "How about you?"

"IU," Bella said with a smile.

"That's good news. I would have hated having to transfer to Purdue."

A few seconds passed and she was sure he was asleep until he spoke.

"Bella?"

"Yeah."

"Why do you call me Pretty Boy?"

"Because my first thought when I saw you was that you were really pretty for a boy."

"Oh."

Bella lay there and listened as his breathing evened out. She looked up into the star-filled sky, eventually following him into dreamland.

Edward woke up the next morning much like he had the morning after the softball tournament, the sun shining brightly in his eyes, a pounding headache and Bella Swan staring at him. But this time, his arms were wrapped around her as she looked up at him.

"Morning, Pretty Boy."

"Morning."

"How are ya feeling?"

"Like shit. I don't know how you guys do it. I give up."

"Aww come on, you can't admit defeat already," she said as she sat up and put her chin on his chest. "We still have all summer to get you on our level. Don't be a puss."

"If you two are done making googly eyes at each other," Emmett yelled from the porch, "Rosie's mom made breakfast!"

Standing up, Bella reached her hand out to Edward.

"Upsie daisy, Pretty Boy, let's get some grease and coffee in your system," she said as he took her hand. "We've got things to do today."

"We do?"

"Yep," she said, hopping down out of the truck bed. "You said you wanted to take a little ride with me. I'm taking you up on that."

"I did?" he said. "Was I drunk?"

"No, you weren't drunk," She said, as Edward jumped down from the truck bed to stand beside her. "Don't you remember?"

"Ummm…"

"Sweet tan little thing with nothin' to do, I wanna take a little ride with you," she sang sweetly, before wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him hard on the lips. Before Edward could process what was happening, it was over. With a wink and a smirk, Bella turned and walked towards the house.

Edward stood stupidly by the truck before it dawned on him. As she waited on the porch for him, hands on her hip, head cocked to the side with a half smile on her lips, he knew he was done for. They would fight, bicker, and she would probably threaten to kick his ass on more than one occasion but he knew, standing there hungover and smelling like a bonfire, she was it for him. This girl, this beer drinking, F-bomb dropping, boot-wearing girl, had become his entire world and he had no doubt, that he would take a ride with her anywhere.


End file.
